One of the things that I love about winter vegetables is their capacity to satisfy my sweet tooth…but with the added bonuses of fiber, vitamins and minerals thrown in there too. Some winter vegetables, like Brussels Sprouts and Parsnips, really come into their prime flavor-wise after they’ve experienced a frost. When temps drop low, the plants go into defense mode against the cold, sending all of their natural sugars into the roots and shoots. As a result, they become sweeter in flavor, and they roast up like a dream. Heat, like the cold, works wonders for the flavor of storage vegetables. That is what caramelizing is—coaxing those natural sugars out of the fruit or vegetables by cooking them slowly with heat. So, if you do nothing else this week on the vegetable cooking front, heat the oven up and get your squashes, sprouts, roots and even fruits roasting!